Drama Kings and Queens
by estrafalaria103
Summary: Kurt's mad at Blaine. Kurt also loves drama. But when he and Rachel team up to cause a little drama, and Finn and Blaine figure it out, the tables are turned. The hunted become the hunters, and it's hard to tell who's chasing who anymore.
1. Don't Do Sadness

13:57

**A/N: Just a weird little idea that popped into my head. Kurt is pissed at Blaine, and loves drama. Rachel also loves drama. Blaine and Finn don't. Hmmmm. . .**

Kurt slammed the door shut. On second thought, he opened it again, not surprised to see that his boyfriend was still standing in the same spot in front of the door, a shocked expression on his face. Kurt leaned forward, just a little bit, and saw Blaine's eyes open in anticipation.

"I hope I never see you again, Blaine," Kurt hissed. "Don't bother calling me."

He slammed the door shut a second time, with a sense of intense satisfactiong. The second slam had been even more powerful than the first. Additionally, when he turned around, he saw that he had an audience. Finn and his dad were both leaning their heads out of the kitchen.

"Dude. . ." Finn breathed. "That was kind of harsh."

Burt, however, had a different take on the situation. He walked into the hallway, an unidentifiable expression on his face, as he rolled up his shirtsleeves. He clamped one hand on his son's shoulder, and leaned over a little so they were eye to eye.

"Kurt," he said, his tone flat and solemn. "What did that boy do to you?"

A thrill of excitement shot down Kurt's spine. This was _exactly_ what he'd been hoping to accomplish. A little sense of drama injected into his life. Because, while he loved Blaine, sometimes he missed the excitement of his life pre-Dalton. Everyone in Glee Club had settled down, and there were no new love pentagrams. He needed a little drama in his life, even if he had to provide it himself.

Of course, he couldn't tell his dad that. Burt Hummel would hardly understand the necessity of a tearful breakup in an otherwise perfect relationship.

"I don't want to talk about it," Kurt said. He lifted his chin, squared his shoulders, and stomped upstairs. He considered whether to slam his bedroom door as well, but ultimately decided not to. He didn't want to overdo it.

He immediately flopped on his bed and pulled out his phone, trying to decide who to call. If Blaine _actually_ done something wrong, and _actually_ reduced Kurt to tears, he would have called Mercedes in a heartbeat. She'd be over with ice cream and movies faster than he could say "girls night." It all sounded perfect. But Kurt also knew what would happen at school the next day. Blaine would be shoved into a locker and yelled at with all the fury of a 17 year old diva. While Kurt was excited for the drama, he definitely didn't want to risk losing Blaine indefinitely.

So instead of called his second best gal pal, wondering as he punched in the numbers what had happened to make Rachel Berry one of his besties.

She answered on the first ring. "Rachel Berry, future star speaking!"

"Really?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow. "This is Kurt, by the way."

"I knew that, of course," Rachel said, and Kurt could just imagine her flipping her hair over one shoulder. "Did you need help with the most recent Glee assignment? I'd be more than willing to help you and Blaine pick out a duet that expresses the confusion and angst that two teenage boys undoubtedly feel regarding their romantic intentions."

"No," Kurt said. Darn, he'd forgotten about the Glee assignment. Now he'd have to find a new partner. . .and he wouldn't have the joy of staring into Blaine's hazel eyes the entire time. Then again, the longing gazes that would surely be directed his way would more than make up for it. "Actually I called because. . .um. . .Kurt and I broke up."

There was a long moment of silence, during which Kurt tried to imagine what Rachel was doing. Possibly her mouth was hanging open in shock. She might have dropped her hairbrush on the ground. Potentially she was wiping a tear away.

"What?" her voice was high and strident when she finally spoke. "Kurt are you. . .are you serious?"

Kurt nodded, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't' see him.

"Did you call Mercedes yet?"

"No," Kurt said. "You were the first one I wanted to call."

Another scream from the phone, and Kurt needed to hold it a little away from his ear to avoid being deafened. "I knew that you would eventually recognize that my two gay dads make me the ideal confidante for a homosexual teenager! I am truly, deeply touched that you wish to cry your heart out to me."

"Actually. . ." Kurt bit at his lower lip. "I need you to help me with something. Blaine and I. . .that is. . ."

"Did he do something awful to you? Do you need us to shun him?"

"No! No," Kurt said hurriedly, because he could just imagine Rachel sitting at a computer, typing out a facebook message to anyone. "That's. ..uh. . .that's kind of the problem. Blaine didn't really _do_ anything."

"Oh. Then. . .did. . .you?"

"No," Kurt said, with a little bit of a sigh. "I mean, I"ll grant you that today he _did_ wear black shoes with a brown belt. And he ordered my a regular mocha instead of a nonfat. And he told me that he would absolutely not, under any conditions, permit me to tweeze or wax his eyebrows. But other than that, today he was perfect."

"So why. . ."

"Everything's just a little too perfect, don't you think?" Kurt sighed. "I mean. . .you and Finn are back together, and Quinn and Sam, and I'm kind of surprised that Tina and Mike haven't had some kind of bizarre Asian marriage by this time. Brittany's back to wheeling Artie around with her pinkie locked with Santana and I have Blaine, and Pizes has finally happened. . .isn't everything just a little boring?"

Another long pause.

"Kurt. . .are you telling me that you broke up with Blaine because you were _bored_?"

Well, when she put it that way it sounded absolutely awful.

"Not. . .bored. Just. . .Blaine and I have never had to go through anything really awful. We've never had our relationship tested, and I thought it was time to see how we dealt with a real trial."

"What about all of the bullying? What about what happened at Prom? What about the fact that you're sending in college applications and might not be anywhere near each other next year? What about the fact that he plays soccer and you cheer? What about his dad, and your dad's heart attack? What about. . ."

"Those things weren't about _us_," Kurt tried to explain. "Those were _external_ factors. This is purely about us."

Another long pause. Kurt sighed, because obviously she wasn't going to let him off that easily. And there was absolutely _no_ way he was telling Rachel the real reason that he was putting the brakes on Blaine. There was no way he was telling _anyone_ what it was that Blaine had really done.

"Okay, I was bored," Kurt finally admitted. He heard a little squeal on the other end of the phone. He was really beginning to get a headache now, and was wondering if maybe he would've been better off calling Mercedes after all.

"I knew it! I was so right. Though you do have a point. Our boyfriends are both frighteningly attentive, but I'm not sure they really recognize what fantastic stars they have on their arms."

Kurt raised one eyebrow. At times Rachel's mind moved frighteningly on track with his own, and he was beginning to think this was one of those moments.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Thirty minutes and a minor plan later, Kurt sat down at his computer and logged onto facebook. With a few quick clicks it was finished.

_**Kurt Hummel is in a relationship with Blaine Anderson**_ was changed to _**Kurt Hummel is single.**_

Ten minutes later his bedroom door was thrown open, and an irate Finn was standing there, his phone in one hand.

"What is going on?" Finn asked. "You and Blaine are broken _up_ now? He just called me to ask what's up with you."

Kurt arched on (perfectly tweezed) eyebrow. "Really? He called you?"

"We're friends, too," Finn said, crossing his arms. "Now, you want to explain why you broke up with your boyfriend after what he thought was a perfectly nice date?"

Kurt shrugged. "I just needed some space," he said. Before Finn had a chance to respond, his phone rang. Ever oblivious to proper manners, Finn answered, right in front of Kurt.

"Hey, Rachel. . .no, I'm just at home. . .but. . .wait, why. . .what. . .um, okay. Bye?"

He hung up the phone, and pushed it into his pocket, a confused and lost expression on his face. Kurt tried very hard not to smirk, because he knew what was coming. Sure enough, about a minute later, Finn looked up again.

"Rachel just broke up with me."

Xoxo

Nothing much seemed different the next day at school. Mercedes seemed surprised when Kurt stopped by her locker, instead of going to Blaine's. Evidently it was a pleasant surprise, however, because she just smiled instead of mentioning the inconsistency. Tina was more confused when Kurt sat next to her in biology.

"Um. . .Mike usually sits there," she said. Kurt just flipped the book open to page 302, which had a massive graph of a frog's insides printed on it. His stomach lurched a bit uncomfortably, and he looked up in panic for a minute. Was today the dissections? Without his volition, his eyes flew over to Blaine. Perfect, beautiful Blaine who had promised to do all of the nasty cutting and sawing and poking and prodding. . .

"Wouldn't you rather sit next to Blaine?" Tina asked. Mike had arrived in class by this time, and was standing a little uncomfortably next to Kurt.

"We. . .um. . .we broke up," Kurt said softly.

Tina glanced up at Mike and squinted her eyes. He cocked his head. She nodded. He shrugged and ambled off. As Kurt watched, he asked Blaine a question, and then sat down beside the other boy.

"What was that?" Kurt asked. Tina just pat his hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Kurt sighed. "Not really." He looked distastefully at the dissection tray that their teacher placed in front of them. "I don't suppose that you want to cut up Mr. Ribbit?"

"Absolutely not," Tina said, crossing her arms and sitting back from the table. "Mike promised that he would do all the gross stuff."

Kurt sighed. "Yeah. . .so did Blaine."

They ended up not having to do the dissection, after Kurt made one, tiny incision. As clear liquid seeped out of the frogs midsection, he couldn't help the teensy, not girly at all, scream that escaped. Tina fainted. Although Mike looked concerned, and offered to take Tina to the nurses, Blaine looked like he was trying to cover up his laughter behind his hand. Kurt shot his (ex) boyfriend a glare, before looping an arm around Tina's waist and walking out the door.

At lunch he sat with Rachel, which was perfect, because it gave them a chance to compare notes.

"Finn is completely lost," Rachel said triumphantly. "He keeps looking at me with these lost, puppydog eyes. Of course, that just means that I want to wrap him up in a huge hug, but that's not part of the plan, is it?"

"No," Kurt said morosely, poking at his salad. Normally Blaine would pack him some baked tofu to add, or maybe some sunflower seeds. He glanced over at Blaine, who was sitting with all the jocks. He looked entirely too happy as he watched Mike and Puck throwing Cheezeballs back and forth, trying to catch them in their mouths. He grabbed one himself after a moment, and chucked it at Sam. Unsurpisingly, Sam caught it (it would be hard to miss, with a mouth his side, Kurt thought). Only Finn looked at all upset, staring at Rachel with the look of a kicked toddler on his face.

"How's it going for you?" Rachel asked. Kurt sighed, and put a limp piece of lettuce in his mouth.

"Well, I was thinking of Phase Two," Rachel said, leaning forward conspiratorially. I was thinking that we could start today, at Glee."

Kurt considered. On the one hand, he'd really hoped that they wouldn't have to put Phase Two into action. He'd hoped that Blaine would come to his senses by this time, that all of the girls would have swooped in and told Kurt how sorry they were, that rumors would be sweeping the school. . .instead he'd had to go to the nurse's office, and was stuck eating disgusting salad. He sighed.

"Sounds good. Phase Two."

Xoxo

Mr. Schue's theme of the week was Duets. Again. This time, however, he'd asked the students to dig deep and find a source of anxiety and pain within them. No random lyrics. They had to be dramatic, and theatrical.

Before Mr. Schuester even had the chance to say good afternoon, Rachel's hand was in the air, waving around. He sighed, and pointed to her.

"Yes, Rachel?"

"If you don't mind," Rachel said. "Kurt and I have been working on something that I feel evokes both the spirit of the assignment, and our emotional resilience following our recent breakups."

"Wait. . .what?" Mr. Schuester looked sincerely confused, and Kurt felt a brief moment of sympathy for their poor director. "Wait. . .Finn, you and Rachel broke up? _Again_? Blaine?"

Both boys just shrugged, and Mr. Schue sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"All right, Rachel, that's fine. Sometimes I just don't understand teenagers. . ."

"Thank you," Rachel said, grabbing Kurt's hand and dragging him up to stand in front of everyone. "Now then, this is a song from the recent, Tony-award winning musical _Spring_ _Awakening_."

For all of Rachel's bravado, however, it's Kurt who has to start the song. First he seeks out Blaines' eyes. His boyfriend is sitting in the front row, lounging against the back of the chair, his legs outstretched and crossed at the ankle. He's wearing a simple black sweater and a pair of jeans that are impossibly tight. Kurt thinks he looks beautiful.

"_Awful sweet to be a little butterfly_

_ Just swinging over things and nothing deep inside_

_ Nothing going, going wild in you, you know_

_ You're slowing by the riverside, a-floating high and low_"

Blaine leaned forward at his, apparently interested in Kurt's singing. Kurt, for his part, can't help it. He takes a half-step forward, and would probably have begun serenading Blaine if it weren't for Rachels' hand, insistently tugging him back by his wrist.

_"Or maybe cool to be a little summer wind_

_ Like once through everything and then away again_

_ With the taste of dust in your mouth all day_

_ But no need to know_

_ Like sadness you just sail away_"

The next part was incredibly distasteful to Kurt, and honestly, if the circumstances were any different, he wouldn't have done it. But Blaine was still just sitting there, an inscrutable expression on his face. He wasn't jumping up and begging for Kurt to take him back, he wasn't stomping angrily away, he wasn't even breaking down in tears.

So, really, Kurt had no choice. He glared at Blaine for the next two verses, before turning to smile at Rachel.

"_I don't do sadness_

_ Not even a little bit_

_ Just don't need it in my life_

_ Don't want any part of it_

_ I don't do sadness_

_ I've done my time_

_ Looking back on it all, man, it blows my mind_

_ I don't do sadness_

_ So been there_

_ Don't do sadness_

_ Just don't care"_

And then there was a nice little piano interlude. Kurt tried to stare into Rachel's eyes, he really did. IT was just. . .weird. Her eyes were a dull brown, without the green and gold specks he was used to. Her eyebrows were thin and wispy, nothing like the thick dark triangles that he suddenly wanted to run his fingers over. Her eyelashes weren't long enough. She was a little too short. Her nose was too big. Her lips weren't big enough.

For half a second Kurt wanted to call it all off. But then he remembered what Blaine had done, and decided that a little revenge really was in order. He snuck a peek at Finn as Rachel began to sing.

_"Spring and summer_

_ Every other day_

_ Blue wind gets so sad_

_ Blowing through the thick corn_

_ Through the bales of hay_

_ Through the open books on the grass_

_ Spring and Summer_"

Blaine was nodding his head appreciatively, but Finn just looked confused. He was staring at the ground, but his cocked head told Kurt that he was listening. Mercedes, meanwhile, was staring at both Kurt and Rachel as though they had spouted second heads. Santana, Brittany, and Artie were all scrunched together on Artie's wheelchair.

Probably a good thing that Artie couldn't feel his legs.

_"Sure it's autumn_

_ Wind always wants to_

_ Creep up and haunt you_

_ When silence got you_

_ If it's heartache, well, it's sorrow_

_ Winter wind sings under cries_"

Then it was time for the duet. Kurt had forgotten that Rachel actually took acting classes. It was a little creepy having her sing to him with googly eyes. He almost loset track of the melody when she walked up and threaded their fingers together. And his voice definitely cracked when she finished the song with a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Everybody clapped at the end, even Blaine and Finn, though Finn looked like he wants to cry. Mr. Schuester wall all smiles.

"Well, I admit that I was confused when you two started, but that was a really fantastic rendition!" he said. "I hope the rest of you are ready for some competition, because Kurt and Rachel have set the bar pretty high!"

Everybody was quick to congratulate Kurt and Rachel after their performance, except, of course, for Finn and Blaine. Those two were deep in conversation, and after a moment or two, went to talk to Mr. Schuester. Although their director nodded his head, he was more confused looking than ever.

Kurt held his breath a little when Blaine walked up to him.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" the shorter boy asked. Kurt took a deep breath before nodding. Blaine grabbed his hand and tugged him to the side.

"I'm on to you," Blaine said. "You and Rachel. . .you're bored, and thought it would be a fun game to break up with us."

Kurt's mouth fell open. Blaine's mouth quirked up in a smile.

"Yeah, I'm on to you," Blaine said. "And it's not going to work. It's going to backfire on you. Because it's not okay to mess with someone's heart."

"That's not what this is about," Kurt protested.

"Don't lie to me," Blaine said, and this time he did show some emotion. For just a moment his face crumpled. "We've always been completely honest with one another. If this is for real. . .if you're upset at me. . .you need to tell me what I did. I can't fix it if you don't talk to me."

Kurt just shook his head. "I can't tell you," he almost whispered. "Because then it won't count."

Blaine nodded. Kurt watched, his heart breaking a little, as he watched his boyfriend put up his mask, those Dalton walls being rebuilt in front of his eyes. Between one blink and the next Blaine had transformed from being a scared, high school boy into a dapper young man.

"Okay then," Blaine said. "If this is a game, you'd better be prepared for a little competition."

Kurt didn't have a chance to say anything before Blaine turned away. He grabbed Finn by the elbow, and the two walked out, whispering to one another. It should have been a funny picture, with Finn bent halfway double to whisper in Blaine's ear. It should have been funny, but it really wasn't.

Kurt wandered over to Rachel's side.

"That was fantastic!" Rachel bubbled. "Finn was absolutely devastated, did you see that? He'll be crawling back to me in no time, prepared to be perfect arm candy for the rest of my life. And we sounded fantastic together. . .do you think Mr. Schuester would let us do that as a duet for Sectionals? I really think the judges would appreciate the incorporation of a recent Broadway success story into our repetoire."

Kurt lifted a hand to cut her off. "Um. . .Rachel. . .they're on to us."

**A/N: Wow. Thought this was going to be a one-shot, but it kind of ran away from me. So. . .fiveshot?**

**Reviews are love! Song is "Don't Do Sadness / Blue Wind" from Spring Awakening. **


	2. Another You

13:57

**A/N: Gah, the angst, the angst! This was originally meant to be a humorous story. Instead, you get THIS.**

The next day things got weird. Rachel and Kurt walked into school together, their hands linked. It didn't feel right, of course. . .they were each clutching hands that were just too smooth and moisturized for it to be romantic, and they both smelled too good, and neither of them were tall enough but. . .well, it was part of Phase Two.

They didn't kiss when they separated at lockers, because they'd both agreed that would be too much. But Rachel did smile at him over her shoulder, and Kurt tried really hard to blush.

"All right, white boy," Mercedes said, slamming one hip into the locker next to him. "What is going on here?"

"I'm going to math class," Kurt said evenly. Mercedes narrowed her eyes.

"Don't play with me," she said. "I'm your best friend, Kurt. There's no way you would break up with Blaine for Rachel."

"I didn't," Kurt said simply. "I broke up with Blaine because it wasn't working. And I'm not with Rachel."

"Right," Mercedes said, but she didn't sound like she believed him. Which was good.

In biology, Kurt sat next to Tina again, while Mike and Blaine sat together. At lunch he sat with Rachel. He noticed that Finn and Blaine were sitting apart from the other jocks, their heads bent low over a piece of paper. Kurt frowned. Finn still hadn't completely gotten over his homophobia, but their heads were _awfully_ close together. . .

And then it was time for Glee, and Kurt felt his heart constrict. He remembered Blaine telling him to be prepared. He waited outside for Rachel, and took her hand before walking in. It was still going according to plan, he reminded himself. It was all still going according to plan.

"Hey, guys," Mr. Schuester said, ignoring Rachel's hand waving around in the air. "Blaine and Finn asked if they could start us off today. So. . .take it away, boys!"

"Thanks, Mr. Schue," Finn said. He walked to the side of the room and pulled over a pair of stools, promptly sitting down in one. Blaine followed a moment later, after having pulled his guitar out of the case. Blaine strummed up and down a little, his face closed in concentration. Tuning, Kurt realized. When he was finally finished, he nodded at Finn, before staring in with the chords.

Finn, meanwhile, nodded and began tapping his feet, turning to look at Rachel. He started to sing.

_"It's really over, you made your stand_

_ You got me crying, as was you plan_

_ But when my loneliness is through, I'm gonna find another you_"

As he trailed off, Blaine looked up, and locked eyes with Kurt. His mouth was curved in a little smile as he began to sing.

_"You take your sweaters_

_ You take your time_

_ You might have your reasons, but you'll never have my rhymes_

_ I'm gonna sing my way away from blue_

_ I'm gonna find another you_"

When Blaine finally broke eye contact to glance at his fingers, Kurt immediately turned to look at Rachel. He could tell that his panic-stricken expression was mirrored on her face. This song. . .this wasn't a serenade to win them back, it wasn't an expression of sorrow or remorse.

They were singing about moving on. Which was exactly the _last_ thing either of them wanted to happen.

The two boys sang the next verse in tandem.

_"When I was your lover_

_ No one else would do_

_ If I'm forced to find another, I hope she looks like you_

_ Yeah, and she's nicer, too_"

The next part Finn sang staring straight at Rachel. Blaine, however, had lifted his gaze from Kurt. He alternated glances between his guitar, and his duet partner, and Kurt felt his blood run cold.

This was ridiculous. There was no way that Blaine had the hots for Finn. There was no way. And even if there was. . .Finn was straight. He couldn't steal a _boy_ away from Kurt. It didn't work that way. . .

_"So go on, baby_

_ Make your little get away_

_ My pride will keep me company_

_ And you just gave yours all away_

_ Now I'm gonna dress myself for two_

_ Once for me and once for someone new"_

And then, oh God, Finn licked his lips, and for just one line flicked his eyes over to Blaine.

_"I'm gonna do some things you wouldn't let me do_"

Finn was straight, right? Of course, of course. . .Kurt _lived_ with him, there was no curiosity, no uncertainty. . .he slept with cowboy sheets and stayed up late playing Call of Duty and had Playboy magazines hidden under his bed. This was just Blaine's way of fighting back, and it was completely ridiculous. _More ridiculous than you and Rachel_? His brain asked. _Shut up, brain_, he ordered.

Finn turned back to Rachel for the final line of the song, and Blaine made eye contact with Kurt once again.

_"oh, I'm gonna find another you._"

There was less clapping for Finn and Blaine than there had been for Kurt and Rachel, but Kurt was fairly certain it was due to the incredibly uncomfortable vibe in the room. Only Mr. Schuester, oblivious to the drama as ever, was clapping his hands with enthusiasm.

"That was really interesting," he said. "Blaine, Finn, way to go out on a line and really try something."

"Nice fingers," Puck said gruffly. Blaine shot him a smile before taking his seat.

Kurt leaned over to Rachel. "I think it's time for Phase Three," he whispered. This time, Rachel was the one who seemed uncertain. She glanced over to where Finn and Blaine were sitting, so close together their thighs almost touched.

"Um. . .okay," she said.

Xoxo

Kurt had planned it out perfectly. He and Rachel would already be seated by the time that Blaine came in, a coffee in front of each of them. They wouldn't have to do anything, say anything. . .the point would be completely clear. Kurt was replacing Blaine. This was, after all, _their_ spot, and _their_ time to get coffee. Blaine would walk in, and see them, and realize what he had lost.

Then he would walk over, and tell Kurt how much he missed him. He would kneel down, and proudly say those three words that he hadn't said yet.

It was the perfect plan.

And, at 3:15, perfectly on time, Blaine walked in the door. Kurt couldn't keep the smile off his face, as much as he tried. Blaine was just _so_ predictable, so obvious and. . .

So no alone.

He was laughing about something with Finn, who also had a broad smile on his face. Kurt glanced at Rachel, who was frowning herself. Suddenly the perfect plan was falling into little shards around them. He watched as Blaine ordered for both of them, shrugging off Finn's attempts to pay. Kurt shook his head. How had he even gotten Finn to set foot inside the Lima Bean? Finn _hated_ coffee.

It was clear the moment that the boys spotted them. Finn's eyebrows lifted until they were nearly in his hairline, and Blaine's guard dropped for just a moment before he put on his dazzling smile and wandered over.

"Hey, Rachel, hey, Kurt," he said, manners firmly in place. "Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," Kurt said dully. Rachel glared at him, but really, what else was he supposed to say? That Finn was ruining their plan by being there, and Blaine was ruining their plan just by being Blaine?

"So, we were talking," Blaine said, nodding his head toward Finn. "And we decided that we should all still be friends. Just because we've broken up doesn't mean we can't hang out and treat one another like civilized people, right?"

"Right," Rachel said, though Kurt noticed that she wasn't looking Finn in the eyes.

"Great," Blaine said with a smile. "And you tow can drop the act. We know you aren't dating. I mean, come on, Kurt's gay."

"Well, then you two need to drop the act, too," Kurt said scathingly. "Finn's straight."

For some reason, that sent both boys into a bout of laughter that left Blaine wiping at his eyes and Finn burying his face in the mound of whipped cream that he was trying to inhale.

"Sorry," Blaine finally said. "That's hilarious. Finn and I aren't dating, obviously." He winked at Rachel. "I wouldn't do that to you."

"Dude," Finn suddenly said, glancing at his watch. "We gotta jet. The Buckeyes start in ten minutes."

Blaine hastily stood up, pushing his chair in. "Sorry, but it's the Game," he said apologetically. "See you two at school tomorrow?"

"Sure," Rachel said, while Kurt mumbled something incoherently into his coffee cup. Then, as quickly as they'd come in, Finn and Blaine had walked out the door.

"We should just give this up," Rachel said with a sigh. "It's obviously not working."

Kurt just frowned at the door. It was all well and good for Rachel to give up. . .she was only in it for the excitement. But Kurt couldn't give up, because it would put him right back where he was before. Which was a place that, while very nice, was not quite as perfect as he'd led everyone to believe. Still, he couldn't exactly force Rachel to play along.

"Do whatever you want," he said tiredly. "Go ahead and tell Finn that you're sorry tomorrow, that you take it all back, whatever."

Rachel peered at him curiously. "And you'll do the same thing with Blaine, right?" she asked. Kurt knew she wouldn't stop pesturing him until she got the answer that she wanted, so he just nodded and took a sip of his mocha.

Xoxo

The game was at halftime when Kurt got home, and there was no sign of either Finn or Blaine. He glanced at a note on the fridge: Carole and Burt were out at a hospital function, and they'd left money for the boys to order a pizza. Kurt frowned. . .normally he hated pizza – all that grease did nothing for his skin, or his hips. Today, however. . .he kind of felt like gorging himself. Some girls did ice cream when they were feeling down, well, Kurt Hummel did pizza.

First he had to freshen up a bit, though, so he slung his bag over his shoulder and headed upstairs. He heard voices from Finn's room, though, and couldn't help himself. He _knew_ he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he just wanted to make sure that nothing was going on. Even though nothing _could_ be going on, because. . .and the door was partially open, anyway, so it's not like they were being careful. . .

"You don't have to do this." Kurt could recognize Blaine's voice anywhere, and any intention he'd had of just moving on stopped the instant he heard those words. He'd known that the boys had something planned. He quickly turned his phone to silent, and dialed Rachel. He had the feeling she'd want to hear this, too.

"I know I don't have to," Finn said. "But I want to. . ."

"we can wait until tomorrow, if you want. Or a week from now. We can take this as slow as you want, Finn."

"No. No, this is good. We should. . .tonight. And then tomorrow I won't be as nervous at school."

"Well, if you're sure. . ."

Then the sound of scuffling. Kurt could hear Rachel on the other line, squawking and asking him what was going on. Kurt still wasn't sure, but his stomach was flip-flopping dangerously in his stomach.

"Wait. . .wait. . ."

Kurt breathed out a sigh of relief at Finn's voice.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I told you this was too fast, I. . ."

"No. It's just. . .what's it like? Kissing a dude, is it like kissing a girl?"

A pause. Kurt bit at his lip.

"No. And yes. The mechanics are the same, obviously, but it's rougher. Girls just want to please you, but a guy wants to please himself. And, I mean, there's stubble, and they smell different, and they usually don't wear chapstick, so it _feels_ different and –"

Blaine's voice was abruptly cut off. Kurt peeked around the doorframe, terrified of what he might see. He dropped the phone. Blaine was on his tiptoes, his hands gently placed at Finn's waist. Finn was leaning forward, both of his hands on Blaine's shoulders. They didn't see him, of course, because they both had their eyes closed. And their lips. .

"Grawp," Kurt said. He instantly put his hand over his mouth. Blaine and Finn turned around at once, Finn turning red and glancing away. Blaine's eyes were wide, however, and the tips of his ears were tinged pink.

"Kurt. . .I'm. . .we didn't think you were home. . ."

"Grawp," Kurt said again, because apparently nonsensical, nonexistent words were his favorite thing to say.

"Don't. . .don't tell Rachel?" Finn pleaded.

"Grawp," Kurt said again. But then Blaine started to move toward him, just one step, and it was one thing too many. Kurt dropped his bag on the floor. It landed on his phone, probably scratching it, maybe even denting it, but he didn't care. He just ran to his room, and slammed the door shut. This time it wasn't theater, it wasn't drama. He flung himself onto his bed, desperately wishing that he had his phone so he could call Mercedes.

That hadn't been a show for his benefit. They hadn't known he was home. . .they _couldn't_ have known. Which meant that the kiss was real. That Finn was confused about his sexuality, and that he was attracted to Blaine, and that Blaine was attracted to Finn, and that the song they'd sung in Glee was real.

It figured. If anybody could turn a straight boy gay it would be Blaine. Kurt sighed, and bit his pillow. It just sucked. It sucked that the one good thing in his life (okay, two, because Finn was a pretty awesome brother) had now gone downhill. It sucked that his plan to turn Blaine from almost-perfect-boyfriend into completely-perfect-boyfriend had backfired so badly that he now had no boyfriend at all.

It sucked that he still loved Blaine so much that he wouldn't fight. IF Blaine wanted to be with Finn – which he obviously did – then Kurt would leave them to it. He couldn't blame his ex. . .after all, hadn't he entertained a crush on Finn?

It just. . .it sucked.

With a sigh, he went and turned on his computer, scrolling quickly to see if Mercedes was on-line.

_Hey_, he texted. _Have you talked to Rachel?_

Her response was instantaneous. _My place. Now. Don't worry, I've got the ice cream._

**A/N: See how this could be funny? Kurt and Rachel "dating" while Blaine and Finn date? IT's HILARIOUS! But this story. . .this story is NOT hilarious, mostly because Kurt is a drama king/queen. Le sigh.**

**Reviews are love! Song is "Find Another You" by John Mayer **


	3. Sooner Surrender

13:57

**A/N: Actually. . .I have nothing to say. Sorry**

Walking into school the next day was the hardest thing Kurt had ever done. Sure, he had Rachel on one side, and Mercedes on the other, but even so. . .he walked to his locker with his head down. He couldn't glance to his left, where he was sure that he would see Blaine pulling out his books for the day. He couldn't glance to the right, where Finn would undoubtedly be stuffing his jacket into the too-small locker. He just opened his own locker, shuddering a little as he saw all of the photos of Blaine that he'd taped to the side. He supposed that he should take them down.

Tina walked up and took his hand as they walked to Biology. Mercedes must have told her. . .Kurt glanced up at his best friend and mouthed "thank you" before following the Asian girl to Bio.

He didn't glance to where he knew Blaine would be sitting with Mike.

He didn't go to lunch. He went to the choir room, instead, to the one place in the school where he knew he would feel safe and protected. He sat down behind the piano, and took out another flavorless salad.

"Hi."

He wasn't surprised that Rachel was there, too. Her eyes were red, as was the tip of her nose.

"We messed up," she said softly.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "We messed up."

"Are you sure they aren't. . .are you sure they aren't just doing to us what we did to them?" Rachel asked, desperately.

"I don't know. . ." Kurt sighed. "I mean. . .it's hard to imagine Finn ever liking guys. But you didn't see them, Rachel. It looked. . .it looked real."

Rachel sighed and nodded. "We could. . .maybe we could sing to them?"

Kurt just shrugged. He wanted to tell her that singing wouldn't fix things. He wanted to tell her that they should just give up, back off, let their boyfriends go off and be happy together. After all, didn't they deserve that? But he knew that there was no stopping Rachel once she got started, and to be honest, he didn't even want to.

Singing had always helped him before, hadn't it?

Finn and Blaine were sitting together in Glee when Kurt arrived. They were clearly uncomfortable, as all of the girls kept glancing at them suspiciously. The minute Kurt walked in, Blaine leaned over and whispered something in Finn's ear. Kurt noticed the way that Blaine placed his hand on the other boy's thigh, the way that Finn didn't jerk away from it. He stared at the floor.

"So, who's up today?" Mr. Schuester asked, clapping his hands together.

"We are," Rachel said.

"Um. . .Rachel. . .didn't you two already go this week?"

"Irrelevant," Rachel said. "As many of you know, there has been quite a bit of drama going on this week, between Finn, Blaine, Kurt and I. . ."

"Really?" Quinn seemed genuinely confused. "I've been so busy campaigning for Homecoming Queen that I hadn't even noticed."

"Yes, really," Rachel said. "And. . .it's Kurt and my fault. And we know that. And we're _so_ sorry. Finn. . .I was wrong. I was so, _so_ wrong, and I never should have broken up with you. I'm sorry."

Finn coughed uncomfortably, and glanced at the floor. Rachel turned to Kurt. When he didn't say anything, she elbowed him in the side.

"Blaine. . ." he whispered, but he couldn't finish the sentence, because he caught on a sob. He saw his ex jerk forward at the hidden tears. "Please just. . .just listen to the song," he begged.

"Noah?"

At Rachel's prompting the other boy walked forward and picked up his guitar, strumming a little bit before Rachel started singing.

_"In the party, love_

_ Some band's playing halleljah_

_ Hallelujah_

_ In the corner, love_

_ All night girls drink wine and try to sing along_

_ I made a mess of things_

_ The stops and in betweens_

_ They weigh me down_

_ You got someone new singing your songs_."

Kurt joined in on the chorus, staring straight at Blaine the whole time. His eyes met hazel ones, that were so open, and caring. . .he couldn't help the tears that started trickling down his face as he stared at Blaine.

_"Sooner surrender_

_ Then watch the last wall collapse_

_ And sooner surrender_

_ And our love will count for everything_"

Rachel stepped back, letting Kurt sing the next verse alone. He walked forward, until he was standing just in front of Blaine. He started to reach out his hand to take the other boys, but then he noticed how close Blaine and Finn were sitting, and he dropped it back awkwardly to the bottom. He was saying good-bye, he reminded himself fiercely. He was going the right thing.

_"In my sweetest dreams_

_ It's just you and me_

_ And we break wide_

_ I waked reminded, love_

_ How I just gave up_

_ And how you move on, how you moved on_"

Rachel joined him for the chorus, her voice more broken and rough than Kurt had ever heard it. He tore his eyes away from Blaine for just one moment, to squeeze her hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tina turn her tear-streaked face into Mike's shoulder. He was Lauren remove her glasses, rubbing at her eyes furiously. Artie and Santana were tightly grasping Brittany's hands. Even Mr. Schuester looked upset, sitting on his stool. Kurt turned a deep breath and turned back to Blaine.

_"I'm sorry that you've gone_

_ So sorry that you've gone_

_ I'm sorry that you've gone_

_ Love_

_ I'm sorry that you've gone_

_ So sorry that you've gone_

_ So sorry that you've gone away_

_ You're a little bit right_

_ More than a little bit right. . ._

_ Sooner surrender_

_ Then watch the last wall collapse I know_

_ Sooner surrender and our love will count for everything_

_ Our love will count for everything_

_ And I miss when you were everything_"

Rachel collapsed into herself, sobbing. Mechanically, Kurt put his arms around her, and dropped his own, tear-stained face into her hair. He couldn't look at Blaine, or Finn for that matter. He couldn't stand to see their indifference, to watch them just walk by. So he smelled Rachels' raspberry scented hair, and clutched tightly to her abominable cat sweater.

The other students filed back, each one dropping a hand on someone's shoulder. Kurt just tried to contain his sobs.

It was a cleared throat that finally made them look up, to see Finn and Blaine standing in front of them, each one awkwardly shifting from one foot to another.

"Uh. . .Rach. . ." Finn didn't seem to know what to say. Finally he sighed, and just held his arms open. Rachel immediately flung herself into them, crying loudly again.

"I'm so sorry, Finn, I'm so sorry. . .it's just. . .there hasn't been any drama, and I missed it, but I missed you so much more, and I'm so sorry!"

Finn just awkwardly pat her on the head. Kurt took a deep breath and turned to look at Blaine. He almost crumpled again. Had it really only been a week since he'd kissed those lips? Only a week since he'd said those words? Only a week. . .

Xoxo

_"Who's that?"_

_ "Only a friend. But I'm in love with him, and he's actually gay. We call that progress."_

_ "I thought that the one you wanted to ask out on Valentine's day was me."_

_ "I really care about you, Kurt, but I'm not very good at romance."_

_ "Why did you want to sing that song with me?"_

_ "You move me, Kurt."_

_ "Good night, Blaine. I love you."_

_ "See you tomorrow!"_

_ "So we'll be like When Harry Met Sally."_

_ "Don't they get together in the end?"_

_ "God, Blaine, I love you so much. . ."_

_ "You're amazing, Kurt."_

_ "I love you. . ._"

xoxo

"Can we talk?"

Kurt wanted to say that of course they could talk. Or they could not talk. They could do whatever Blaine wanted to do.

They walked into the abandoned astronomy room. Kurt settled himself into a chair, while Blaine just stood there.

"Are you ready to be honest, yet?"

Kurt swallowed, heavily. "I'm so sorry, Blaine. I never should have done that. We were wrong. But we'll get out of your way."

"Out of my way. . .what. . ."

"Finn," Kurt said softly. "We both know what happened last night. And Rachel and I. . .we talked and we won't get in your way. You two both deserve better than us. You deserve each other."

He tried to walk away then, he really did, but Blaine reached out with one arm and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him back. Kurt glanced up, shocked to see that Blaine's eyes were dancing, almost happy.

"Kurt," he said, laughter in his voice. "Don't be ridiculous. Finn and I aren't together. He's not even gay!"

Kurt shook his head, confused. He knew what he'd seen. He'd seen them, together. He'd seen the kiss. "I was there, remember?" he finally managed to say. Blaine just shook his head, that small smile still on his lips.

"Stupid," he said. "We knew that you and Rachel wanted some drama. So Finn and I. . .were just agreed to give it to you. We were going to kiss today at Glee, and Finn just wanted to practice ahead of time."

Kurt bit his lip. He wanted to believe Blaine, he really did, but. . .but something still wasn't right. He sighed.

"Why are you being so nice about this? I was a total bitch to you."

"You're my boyfriend," Blaine said, as though that explained everything. "At least, I think you still are."

Kurt's lip was trembling as he glanced up again. "Really?" he asked. Blaine just grinned and spread his arms. Kurt ran forward and flung himself into them. He felt the gentle pressure of Blaine's lips on his forehead, and sighed.

"I love you, Blaine," he whispered. "I love you so much, and I was so stupid. I just. . .I knew that we'd get back together."

"I know," Blaine said soothingly. But, Kurt noticed with a sinking heart, he didn't say the words back. Which meant that all of the pain and the drama had been for nothing. Blaine still didn't love him. Still, as Kurt huddled deeper into his boyfriend's warmth, he realized that it was enough. He'd loved Blaine for months without getting anything. Now he was getting kisses and cuddles. Maybe in a few months time he'd get the other boys heart.

Or, he realized with a shot of fear, maybe in a few months time it would be Blaine who got bored and moved on. . .

**A/N: One more chapter to go. Maybe an epilogue. Or maybe you should just read "Three Accidental Words" to have some idea how the epilogue would go. Haven't decided yet. Also, the preview clips for tomorrow: LOVE**

**Reviews are love! Song is "Suddenly Surrender" by Matt Nathanson **


	4. Cannonball

13:57

**A/N: Aw, how cute was last night's episode? Granted, there are some things I would have changed (more laughter and catcalls when Kurt's name was announced, a little less cheering after his "coronation": minus the Rachel/Quinn discussion) But still pretty awesome. **

Things were fine for the next few weeks. Better than fine, really. Rachel and Finn were over their drama, for the first time in what felt like _forever_. And Kurt was back to holding hands with Blaine in the hallways, and having to ignore the glares of all of the jocks. Plus, they had to do another dissection in biology. Blaine took just one look at Kurt's horrified face, chuckled a little, and promptly dove in with a scalpel, telling Kurt to take notes. Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Tina's relieved sigh as Mike did the same thing.

They were back to sitting together at lunch, and Kurt wasn't sure what he was more pleased about. . .the small brushes of their thighs below the table, or the fact that he got to add Mrs. Anderson's delicious baked tofu to his salad once again. Every once in a while Blaine would lean in to whisper something in his ear, and then he'd remember that, oh yeah, actually, this was what he was most pleased about.

They were back together in Glee, too. The first thing Kurt wanted to do after their reconciliation was sing, but Mr. Schue, in one of his rare bouts of authority, declared that Kurt had done quite enough singing, and it was somebody else's turn. They managed to go a full week and a half before Rachel finally had enough and declared that if they were going to have any chance at winning Sectionals they had to let her practice her instrument.

The four of them went out to Breadstix together, and it wasn't nearly as bizarre or uncomfortable as Kurt had expected. Rachel and Blaine had always gotten along well (_too well_, his mind reminded him darkly). Poor Finn was mostly left out, as they rambled on about theater and Broadway, but every now and again Blaine would mention football and Finn would perk right back up.

Things were pretty much perfect, and Kurt was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, senior year was going to work out okay. Until he came home one day to Finn bounding over like an overgrown Golden Retriever, and flingin his arms tight around Kurt's neck, practically bowling him over with enthusiasm.

"I got in!" Finn bellowed. "I got in! Thank goodness Brittany tutored me in Spanish. . .I'm going to college!"

Finn then proceeded to run down the street, grabbing and hugging strangers at random. Kurt, meanwhile, felt a heavy, dark feeling settle in the bottom of his stomach. College acceptances. . .he'd only applied to three colleges: NYU, UC San Diego, and OSU. OSU was obviously his safety school, and NYU was where he'd wanted to go his entire life. And California. . .

Well, he'd applied to California for Blaine. Because while Kurt had his heart set on attending NYU, and living in the city he'd fallen in love with during Nationals, Blaine was all over the place. His parents wanted him to attend an Ivy League, so he'd applied to those, but he'd also expressed his hope to get as far away from Ohio as possible. Which in Blaine's world, meant California. He'd applied to both Stanford and Berkley. So Kurt had applied to UC, because at least then they could be in the same state.

But what if Blaine didn't decide to go there, after all? What if he decided to go to Cornell, which was almost six hours away from New York, or to Georgetown, which was closer to eight hours away? And they were nearing their six month-iversary, and Blaine still hadn't said those three words. What if he didn't want to even _be_ with Kurt during college? What if they were just high school sweethearts?

Kurt had to pinch himself to keep from worrying. None of that was even worth freaking out over, at least not until he'd gone to see if he got into any schools. For all he knew, he'd be stuck in Ohio anyway.

But when he walked into the kitchen, he saw three fat envelopes sitting on the table. His heart leapt, did a happy skippy dance, and then fell down to cower again. Kurt sighed, and pulled out his phone. Blaine picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, Kurt, what's up?" His boyfriends' voice was as happy and chipper as ever.

"I just got my letters from college."

"That's fantastic! Wait. . .that is fantastic, right?"

Kurt paused for a minute, because he still hadn't decided. "I. . .um. . .I got into NYU."

Blaine screamed on the other end of the phone, loud enough that Kurt literally had to hold the phone away from his ear. "God, Kurt, that's amazing! You must be so excited! I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah. It's pretty awesome. What about you. . .did you get any letters?"

"Yeah," Blaines' voice was kind of muffled, like he'd put something in his mouth. Kurt couldn't keep from smiling, just envisioning his boyfriend walking in the kitchen, his car keys hanging out of his mouth. "Um. . .let's see. . .I got into OSU. . .duh. . .Cornel, oh, that's cool. Columbia. . .Berkeley. . .Yale. . ."

Kurt giggled at the droll voice Blaine had put on. He knew the other boy had to be freaking jumping around. "Blaine, congratulations!" He suddenly felt excited, the way he probably should have felt at his own acceptances. The door to the garage creaked open, and Burt peeked his head in. Kurt grinned, and waved his envelopes in his dad's direction.

"Listen, Blaine, I've got to go. . .my dad just got home, and I have to show him this."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow? Celebratory brunch?"

"Sure."

Xxx

Blaine picked him up promptly at ten, and they headed over to the Lima Bean. Granted, it wasn't exactly high dining, and the food options were limited, but it was their place, and Kurt's heart fluttered a little when they headed in. Blaine held the door for him, as usual.

"So, you're going to NYU, right?" he asked, after grabbing them each a coffee and pastry and sitting down. Kurt shrugged.

"Um. . .I haven't decided. I got into OSU and UC San Diego, too. What about you?"

Blaine waved off Kurt's question. "Still waiting to hear from some other schools. Georgetown, Harvard. . .you know."

Kurt's heart sunk. Georgetown. That wasn't near any of the schools that Kurt had gotten into. Blaine wasn't even considering him. . .

"I think. . .I think maybe we should break up."

The words were out of his mouth before he even had the chance to realize that he was thinking them. And, as quickly as his hand rose to cover his mouth, it wasn't quick enough. He blinked, rapidly. Maybe those words hadn't come out, maybe. . .

"What?"

Blaine was staring at him with a completely inscrutable expression on his face. He took a slow drink of coffee, before finally leaning forward. "Kurt, you know I adore your flair for the dramatic, but if this is just you getting bored again. . ."

"No, I just mean. . ." Kurt struggled to find words. He glanced down as his napkin, as if that would hold more answers for him. "It's going to take me a long time to get over you, Blaine. Like. . .a really long time. And if we break up over the summer I won't. . .I won't be over you, and we won't be friends, and. . ."

He was ripping up the napkin by this point, into little tiny shreds. Blaine's hand reached over and covered his, and against his own will, Kurt found himself looking up into those beautiful hazel eyes.

"Why do we have to break up ever?" Blaine asked. He was so close that Kurt could feel the other boys' breath ghosting over his face. "Nobody says that you have to break up when you go to college."

"No, but. . ." Kurt sighed. This wasn't going the way he wanted at all. He shook his head. "I want to have time to go back to being friends with you."

"Three weeks ago you told me that you loved me. Is that just. . .you're just done with that?"

Kurt leaned forward, and pressed a gentle kiss to his boyfriends' cheek. "No," he said fiercely. "I am not _done_ with that. I will never be _done_ with that. That's the problem. You'll go off to Georgetown, and get over me, and I will never, _ever_ be over you."

He walked outside then, clutching his arms tightly around himself, trying hard not to shake and break apart. Blaine followed him out a minute later, and turned the car on in silence. They drove back to Kurt's home in silence. He left the car, but before he'd shut the door, Blaine had also exited. His face was still a cold mask. . .the same façade that Kurt had hated so much back when they'd both gone to Dalton.

"I really care about you, Kurt," Blaine said, his words short and staccato. "And if this is what you really want. . .I'll abide by your wishes. But you promised me something, back when you first transferred."

_I'll never say good-bye to you. . ._

"You're the one breaking that promise, Kurt," Blaine said, and this time his words were filled with anger. "You. Not me. And I don't understand why you're being such a . . .such a little _bitch_ right now, but I can't fix this if you won't talk to me."

Kurt opened his mouth, but no words came out. There wasn't anything to say, because there wasn't anything for Blaine _to_ fix. That was the problem. High school relationships weren't meant to last, and they just had to accept that.

Xxx

Blaine wasn't at the locker in the morning, but that wasn't surprising. He had P.E. first thing in the morning, so he didn't ever really have to go to his locker first period, anyway. He just stopped by Kurt's locker because he was all dapper like that.

He wasn't in biology, either, and that was a little worrisome. Blaine never missed school. Maybe it was just coincidence, Kurt thought. Maybe he just had a cold.

Blaine wasn't at lunch, either.

All that he wanted to do was get out his phone and text the other boy. . .he just wanted to make sure that he was okay, that he hadn't gotten into a car crash on Saturday, or that his. . .his dog hadn't died, or. . .But he couldn't. He knew that if he typed out a text he wouldn't get an answer.

"Mercedes," he asked, and _God_, was that his voice, all broken and breathless like that. "Can you. . .can you call Blaine? Check if he's okay?"

"What?" Mercedes stared at him, a funny expression on her face. "You mean. . .why don't you know what's up with him?"

"_Please_, Mercedes."

So she sent a text. Kurt wasn't surprised when she didn't get a response, but it didn't make him any less worried. That was it. If he hadn't heard from Blaine by the end of the day, he was going over to his house to make sure that everything was okay. Because he just couldn't live without Blaine in his life. . .that was the entire reason they'd broken up. He just couldn't. . .

But, as it turned out, desperate measures weren't needed. Blaine was already in the choir room when they walked in for Glee. He was sitting on a stool in the middle, tuning his guitar. Mr. Schue, amazingly on time for once, was talking to him in low whispers, looking agitated. Mercedes and Kurt took their seats.

"All right, guys," Mr. Schue said, clapping his hands together, but sounding more serious than usual. "Something a little different today. Blaine has an announcement to make, and then a song. So, uh, Blaine. . ."

"Hey," Blaine said, looking up for the first time. Kurt just stared. There were dark circles under the other boys' eyes, like he hadn't slept, and his hair was coming undone around all the edges. His skin was blotchy, too, like he'd been crying. Oh, no. . .was that because of. . .but it couldn't. Blaine didn't _cry_ like that, he just didn't. That was Kurt's response. Blaine would get teary-eyed, a little misty, but he wouldn't. . .he didn't. . .

But those beautiful eyes were red-rimmed and watery-looking. Kurt wanted nothing more than to walk forward and just hug Blaine, just clutch him close and make all the hurt, all the pain, go away.

"So. . .um. . .I'm quitting Glee Club. . ."

"_What_?" That was Mercedes, his voice loud and high enough that it was probably shattering mirrors in China. Of course, it was nothing compared to Rachel, who took an extra second to process.

"No!"

The tiny brunette stood up and stomped her foot. "Absolutely not! I just came up with the perfect duet for us to sing. We will _sweep_ this year, Blaine Warbler! I will not allow you to quit!"

Kurt just picked at his cuticles.

"Anyway. . ." Blaine continued on, ignoring both of the girls. "It's just. . .soccer practice is starting up, and I have a lot of AP exams this year, and. . .anyway. I just wanted to sing one last song before I left."

Kurt nodded, all prepared for a Top 40s Hit, something about friendship, and moving on. But Blaine just started strumming his guitar, slow sad chords that ran up and down Kurt's spine. And then he started to sing, his voice so quiet that it could barely be heard over the murmuring guitar.

"_There's still a little bit of your taste in y mouth_

_ There's still a little bit of you laced with my doubts_

_ It's still a little hard to say what's going on_"

Kurt's heard jerked up, but Blaine wasn't looking at him. For once, Blaine wasn't performing, or serenading. There was no false emotion. He was just staring at his fingers as they danced over the guitar strings.

_"There's still a little bit of your song in my ear_

_ There's still a little bit of your words I long to hear_

_ You step a little closer to me_

_ So close that I can't see what's going on_"

He looked up then, finally. He looked straight into Kurt's eyes, and there was that magical connection that he'd felt from the first minute on the staircase.

Blaine hadn't been in an accident.

His dog hadn't died.

Nothing horrible had happened.

Excep that Kurt had said it was all over. The broken shell of a boy. . .that was _his_ fault. And all of a sudden Kurt knew. . .he would take it all back, he would apologize a thousand times over if it just meant that Blaine would smile again. They'd make it through the year. . .they'd go to Prom together, again, and they'd dance a slow dance together. They'd sit next to each other at graduation, and he'd beam with pride while Blaine gave a valedictory address. They'd spend the summer together, lazy days at the park and thrilling ones at Cedar Point. They'd help each other pack, and they'd promise to stay in touch.

And then Blaine would get busy, and forget, and Kurt would be broken.

He knew how this story went, but that was okay. He'd face that horrible emptiness a thousand times over if it just meant seeing Blaine smile again.

_"Stones taught me to fly_

_ Love taught me to lie_

_ Life taught me to die_

_ So it's not hard to fall_

_ When you float like a cannonball_

There was a small choking sound from beside Kurt, and when he turned away, he saw Mercedes crying.

_ Stones taught me to fly_

_ Love, it taught me to cry_

_ So come on courage, teach me to be shy_

_ 'Cause it's not hard to fall_

_ And I don't want to scare him_

_ It's not hard to fall_

_ And I don't want to lose_

_ It's not hard to grow_

_ When you k_now _that you just don't know_."

A few more guitar chords, and then it was over. Nobody was talking. And then Blaine put down his guitar and walked out the door. Mr. Schuester collected himself enough to clap, but he was the only one.

"What the hell?" Santana growled into the stillness.

"Kurt, what did you _do_ to that boy?" Quinn asked.

"You fix this," Rachel said fiercely. "And I'm not just saying that because I want his vocal prowess."

"What are you waiting for?" Mercedes asked, shoving him roughly in the shoulder. "Go get your man!"

There was no sign of Blaine in the hallway, but that was okay. Kurt knew where he would be. Down the hallway and two doors to the left, in the old astronomy room. He opened the door, unsurprised to see the other boy.

"Hey," He said softly. He expected to be told to get lost, told to fuck off, _something_. But Blaine just scuffed his feet a little. So Kurt walked in, and shut the door.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I know that I seem to be saying that a lot, but. . ."

"I just. . .I don't get it," Blaine said, finally, looking up, and _oh_, there were tears ravaging his face. Kurt couldn't be held accountable for his actions. He flew across the room, and wrapped the other boy up in his arms, placing gentle kisses across his face. Blaine's tears were salty and hot on his tongue, and he held tight as the shorter boy trembled in his arms.

"I shouldn't have. . .I was just so scared. . .I'm _sorry_."

"No, of course not," Kurt said. "You're perfect, you're so perfect."

"Then why. . ."

"Because we're going to college, and these things don't last, and I was _scared_," Kurt said. And that, right there, was finally enough for Blaine to pull back. He put his hands on Kurt's shoulders, and pushed back roughly.

"Then we talk," he said. "Christ, Kurt, we've always been able to talk. I'm scared, too."

Kurt raised one eyebrow, because that just didn't make sense. Blaine shouldn't be scared, he had everything figured out, the very picture of confidence.

"But. . ." Kurt sighed. "I love you. And you. . .you don't."

"I don't what?"

"Love me!"

The words were out in a rush, and suddenly the roles had been changed. Blaine was the one apologizing now, rubbing his hands over Kurt's back while he sobbed.

"Why would you think that?" he whispered, his breath blowing over Kurt's hair. "Why would you ever doubt how much I care about you?"

"You never said it," Kurt stuttered, his words choked and gasping. "I say it every time I see you, and you. . .you never said it."

"_Fuck_," Blaine whispered, and that wrecked Kurt all over again, because Blaine never swore, never lost his composure. He suddenly felt a pressure on his chin, and was forced to look straight into Blaine's eyes. They were still bloodshot from his own crying earlier, but they were filled with compassion. "Kurt, I transferred schools for you. I gave up having every solo just for you. I took slushies for you. I wore a pink rose to prom for you, and I wear suspenders every Wednesday, even though I look stupid in them, because you like them. I went out shopping on Black Friday for you. I've been waiting to send in my acceptance letter until I know whether you're going to California or New York, just so I can _be_ with you."

"Oh," Kurt said. "So you weren't waiting for Georgetown?"

"No, stupid," Blaine said with a laugh. "I just didn't want to pressure you and your decision. Kurt, if you wanted to go to—to—to Winnipeg, I would follow you there."

"Where's—"

"It's in Canada."

"Oh," Kurt said again, and he was beginning to think that his brain had gotten dumber all of a sudden. "So. . .does this mean we aren't broken up?"

Blaine seemed to consider that for a moment. "If you promise me," he said slowly. "That you won't diva out on me again, and be a total drama queen, and if you promise me that next time you're scared, or distrustful or upset we'll talk about it, then I promise that not only is this break-up over, but that we will never break up again."

Kurt sniffled. "That's a pretty big promise, Anderson."

"Well," Blaine said, his dapper grin now firmly back in place. "These are some pretty big feelings."

So Kurt took his boyfriend's hand, and followed him back down the hallway to the choir room. He still hadn't gotten his three words, but hey, action speak louder than words anyway.

**A/N: Mweh. Week ending. Got bored. Anyway, this is the end. . .for some reason I really don't want Blaine to ever say "I love you." I don't know why, but this is my second story on the subject. And, he has very notably not said it multiple times now: we've gotten "you move me" and "I'm crazy about you" and "there was a moment" and "I really, **_**really**_** care about you" but no love. So. . .future storyline, Glee writers! Take note!**

**Reviews are love! Song is "Cannonball" by Damien Rice. **


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